1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for providing a renewable masking surface.
2. Background Art
Aromatic spray polyurethane in-mold coating (IMC) has recently emerged as a cost effective method of producing a variety of different polymeric components. In some cases, spray polyurethane IMC has been able to replace reaction injection molding (RIM) in the production of rugged structural components. The spray polyurethane IMC process takes advantage of cross-link bonding between a coating, usually of a color desired for the finished component, and a polyurethane substrate. The part produced by the spray polyurethane IMC process can then be used in the manufacture of a component, such as an instrument panel for a vehicle, that does not need to be post painted. Indeed, the coating used in the spray polyurethane IMC process can be specifically chosen to match the vehicle interior.
In addition to facilitating production of monochrome parts, the spray polyurethane IMC process can also be used to produce parts having two or more colors. Of course, this adds complexity to the process. One method of producing a multi-color component using the spray polyurethane IMC process involves using a two-piece mold. Such a system and method are described in copending U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0133959, entitled “System and Method for Producing Multi-Color Polymeric Components,” filed on Dec. 22, 2003, and incorporated herein by reference. Another method involves masking a portion of a mold as the mold is sprayed with a coating having one color. The mask is then removed and a second color is sprayed on the mold. Most masks used in this type of process are paper, and are held in position with tape. These masks are manually applied, and are disposed of after each cycle. Other masks have been constructed from nylon or epoxy that has been cut or molded to fit the paint mask (style) line. Manual application of these types of masks is a time-consuming and inefficient process. For example, manually applying each mask reduces the repeatability of the masking process. In addition, the manually applied masks must also be manually removed. This requires additional time, and necessitates frequent mold cleaning.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method of providing a renewable masking surface that eliminates the shortcomings of the processes described above.